Zakia - Episode 2

 

Time crawled by at a snail's pace.

But it didn't matter how many times I paced back and forth in the dinky space I'd been caged in, or how many times I jabbed at the door in frustration, the door didn't open up until several long hours later.

At the time, the creaky sound of the wood had interrupted my then slumber, however, the small group of three that sauntered in were different from the ones I'd met before.. But still, the comportment was the same: Strong, mean . Thankfully, they had no weapon in sight, and so I knew my life was spared for the time being, at least.  

"Get up, and move!" One of them yelled at me, watching me sternly as I immediately did as ordered. And that was how I was finally escorted out of the makeshift prison, very much aware that they lingered closely around me..

We moved past several locked doors that got me filled with the curiosity of what or who it contained, until we'd arrived at what seemed to be our final destination. The said spot was the largest of the rooms I'd already come across, but just as dilapidated as the rest of them. 

"Sit!" The same man ordered again. I did as told, and watched him swiftly walk away right into yet another closed door

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/zakia

. Nonetheless, I was still very conscious of the two other men behind me, who looked as alert as ever. Any wrong move, and I was sure to face the consequence. 

Few minutes past, and I remained under the watchful eyes of these two strange men. I really hadn't known what to expect, as absolutely nothing could've possibly readied me for the troops of men and boys that suddenly marched in, and with various weapons dangling in their hands. 

They were all dressed in khaki shorts, with black sleeveless tops, but only a few had an al-kimba secured around their necks. They all stood at attention like soldiers awaiting the arrival of their Colonel, and when he did arrive, they all instantly bowed their heads to his superiority, as I'd been left with no other choice but to do the same. 

"May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you," The leader greeted in Arabic, once he was settled on the plastic chair that'd been reserved for him. 

"May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you too," his inferiors chorused back with the same dialect. 

There was a brief, intense pause inbetween, and it was difficult to perceive what was going on around me, with my head still bowed to the bare ground. I was yet to see what their Leader looked like, and I really wasn't sure if the quickening of my heartbeat was as a result of fear or sheer curiosity. 

"Ya Amir (Oh you Leader), this is the girl," one of them said to his superiority, and I recognised the voice to be that of the hefty man I'd met the previous day. 

There was no vocal response from the leader for what seemed like a minute or two, but when he did speak, I felt every single fibre of nerve in my body go completely numb.

His voice was deep, loud, and as authoritative as it could ever be. "Look at me!" He ordered, and despite the terror flowing viciously across my body, I didn't even think twice before raising my head to meet his expectant gaze.  However, he was nothing like I'd mentally envisioned..

Read " Preordained " by the same author ( Ishola Ubaydah )

. Let's just say the dark mask he had on wouldn't let me analyse any of his features. 

"I'm Younus bn Abdullah (Younus, the son of Abdullah),  the Amir (leader) of this religious empire," He declared with pride, pointing at his broad chest in the process. "And what do we do?" He asked rhetorically. "We fight towards the course of Allah, subhana wata'allah (How great His Majesty)."

"Allahu Akhbar(Allah is the greatest)!  

"Allahu Akhbar! (Allah is the greatest!)"

"Allahu Akhbar! (Allah is the greatest!)"

The rest of his men chorused religiously. And there was another brief pause, with my gaze only meeting his intermittently. 

Everything just seemed strange. I couldn't remember a thing about myself, not even my name; I couldn't pinpoint exactly where I'd met these set of people. My head was literally blank, and yet, I was being forced to face the whole situation that surrounded me.

Good, or bad, I wasn't even sure. 

"So little girl, I ordered my men to bring you here because I have an offer for you," The Leader continued. "This is us, these are our weapons, and this is what we do.. You're either for us," He stated, offering me a small, dark pistol. "-Or against us," He added, withdrawing the pistol and pointing it directly at my forehead.

At this, my heartbeat quickened to the point where I thought I was already dead, and it was impossible to ignore the smirk on his face as he withdrew the pistol away from me. "So what do you say?" He asked, rather impatiently.

It's either I join them or I get killed. I thought to myself. And in a state of sheer panic, I accepted the pistol from him, albeit with shivering hands. 

"From now on, you'll be called Usaynah," He said to me, and for the first time ever, they all smiled at me. 

"Fi tariqi'llah naqif (in the path of Allah we stand)!" They all chorused, leaving me wondering where this so-called path would lead me to.